Shutter speed is essential if you want to capture some creative plus sharp images.
It doesn’t matter if your object is moving fast or slow, after understanding shutter speed you can easily capture that moment without any issue.
So, in the end, the main purpose of this article is to “Understand Shutter-Speed“, so you can learn how to capture photographs.
Once you understand how shutter speed works and why it is an important part of capturing outstanding images, you’ll love it.
Apart from that, you’ll also learn some cool tactics for shooting something different using shutter speed and the meaning of shutter speed.
So, are you ready to Understand Shutter-Speed? here we go…
Easy Ways To Understand Shutter Speed For Beginners
As I said earlier, if you want to understand shutter speed, first you need to know what shutter speed is.
What is Shutter speed?
Here is the simple answer to what shutter speed is…
It is the same amount of time/exposure that your camera records to capture one single image.
In short, when you press the button (called a shutter button) to capture an image and you use a shutter speed of like 10 sec then your camera sensor freezes and shoots for the next 10 sec.
if you’re not familiar with this word then it’s a little bit tricky to remember and understand right?
But don’t worry, you’re in the right place.
Let me give you a simple example of an image that is captured using shutter speed ( 2 seconds of long exposure )
This image is captured using a Canon 1300D.
I captured these images using shutter speed with 2-3 seconds of a long exposure without any tripod.
Then I edited this image using some of my favourite photo editing applications.
- Check out How I Edit My Photos
To capture this image I use a total of two props one is a bulb and the other is an LED light ( here I used my iPhone’s flashlight ).
How I shoot
That’s very simple.
1. First of all, set the bulb on any plain surface.
2. Then set the DSLR camera or any camera in front of the bulb with a little distance.
3. After that set a timer of 2 seconds to click the picture.
Always remember, while doing long exposure photography, use any remote or set timer to shoot an image so that in the end you’ll get no shaky images.
As I said earlier, I captured this shot with 2 seconds of shutter speed.
4. So press the click button and after that turn on the flashlight and move it around the subject (bulb).
Remember DO NOT turn the flashlight on every time.
Because once you press the shutter button your camera sensors record every single thing in that little amount of time.
5. If your camera sensor gets too much amount of light then you’ll get very bright images.
So if you’re familiar with your camera settings then hope you know the perfect settings for your DSLR camera, to shoot some good long-exposure images.
Common settings to use the shutter speed and get long exposure effects are here…
ISO must be between 100-200, aperture value around F14 to F22 (or max if required) more F numbers means more darkness.
And shutter speed is your requirement, more amount of seconds means more lights will come in.
And that thing adds more light to your image, as simple as that.
Now you know something about shutter speed and also how to capture good long-exposure images, so let’s talk more about shutter speed.
Things to know before a Shoot
You’re not a beginner now, you can shoot simple images using shutter speed.
But if you want to be a PRO then you need to check these points out before you shoot.
Earlier in this article, I share one of my images which was captured using shutter speed.
And I captured those images without any tripod because it’s a flat surface.
But if you’re capturing traffic lights then you need a tripod, or anywhere where shutter speed comes in the picture.
So you’ll not get any blurry or shaky images, like this one…
Old ME is learning shutter speed 🙂
As you know shutter speed on most cameras is available in seconds ( max 30 seconds).
You can use a remote release to capture better long-exposure images.
It works on almost every DSLR camera, no matter if it’s Nikon or Canon.
This remote helps you to shoot better long-exposure images with a single click, read more about Shutter Release here.
You can buy this product from Amazon…
Shoot in daytime long exposure images
Recently I learned this new technique to shoot long exposure images in the daytime using shutter speed.
There are mainly two ways to shoot long exposure images in the daytime.
- Use some filters.
- Change your camera setting
How To Do Daytime Long Exposure Without ND Filters
Let’s understand these two points…
Filters for better long-exposure shots…
If you’re a freak and want to spend some money to capture awesome daytime long-exposure shots then you can buy some ND filters.
Once you get the filters, all you need to do is set your ND filters in front of your camera lens as a cap before you shoot a long exposure image.
This filter basically reduces the amount of light that comes inside your DSLR camera sensor, so at the end, if you set 3 seconds of shutter speed then it’ll observe less amount of light and give you a clear image.
See the difference…
Learn more about How the ND filter works…
Camera settings for daytime long exposure without ND filters…
If you own an expensive camera then this point is important for you, otherwise, you can skip it.
Honestly, I never tried this trick, but I think it helps you to learn something new and also you’ll save some money.
I just watched one video on YouTube which helped me to understand this trick.
source: Joshua Cripps Photography
As you can see many cameras contain this kind of multiple exposure mode.
To capture daytime long exposure without ND filters all you need to do is turn that mode ON.
As I said earlier my DSLR camera does not contain this mode, so I never tried this thing.
So it’s better if you learn it from Joshua Cripps.
- Learn daytime long-exposure shoots without an ND filter
Hope that this simple trick helps you to capture better long-exposure shots in the daytime using shutter speed.
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- Tips to capture sharp photos | 4 ways to get clear images using Photoshop
- Headshot Photography: Easy Headshot Photography Tips To Remember
Thank you guys for reaching out to PWDOC, have a good day 🙂
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